Swimming device



My 2, 1933. wlNKLER I 1,907,229

SWIMMING DEVICE Filed May 7, 1932 INVENTOR. mm

ATTORNEY Patented May 2, 1933 UNITED STATES ERNST WINKLER, OF NEWARK,NEW JERSEY SWIMMING DEVICE Application filed May 7, 1932. Serial No.609,855.

The present invention relates to swimming apparatus. 7

One object of the present invention is to provide a device which may beapplied to a swimmers legs to increase their propelling capacity.

Another object is to provide a device which may be mounted on theswimmers legs in .such manner as to be most comfortable and which willprovide a minimum of resistance to movement in the water.

Still another object is to provide a simple and inexpensive attachment.

With the above and other objects in view my invention comprises thenovel combination, arrangement and construction of elements to behereinafter more fully described, shown and defined in the appendedclaims.

In the accompanying drawing which is to be read in conjunction with thisspecification and in which similar reference characters denotecorresponding parts Fig. 1 is illustrative of the use of the device bythe swimmer; and

Figs. 2 and 3 are respectively a front and a side-elevation of thedevice.

Referring to the drawing, denotes a swimmers leg on which my device isadapted to be attached. The device comprises a supporting member 11which is made of solid rubber, cloth or other yieldable material andwhich is preferably non-expandible. Said member when used is adapted tolie along a the front part of the leg and extend parallelly to thelength thereof. Provided at the upper end of said member is anencircling band or loop 12 made either of flexible, expandible rubber orother suitable material which is adapted to extend about the wearers legand serves to securely hold the upper end of member 11 thereto. Ifdesired, said band or loop 12 may be integrally formed with member 11 orotherwise permanently attached thereto. Likewise, instead of a band orloop, a strap or other fastening means may be employed.

At the lower end of member 11 and extending downwardly therefrom is aclosed loop 13 either integrally formed with or suitably attachedthereto. Said loop may also be of flexible expandible rubber or othersuitable material and is adapted to encircle the wearers foot in suchmanner that member 11 is retained on the front part of the leg. Othersuitable fastening means may be employed.

Intermediate the ends of member 11 and pivotally attached thereto in anysuitable manner are blades 14L of metal or any other suitable material.The latter serve as paddles in a manner to be presently described and inthe present embodiment are shown as rectangular in shape with roundedcorners 14 and having their free narrow ends 14 cupped for a purpose tobe presently dev scribed. They may have any other desired G5 shape. Onemethod of pivotal connection is to provide a hinge joint, the knucklebeing formed by rounding theends 14 of the blades 14 leaving a recess14* centrally at said ends and providing holes in thickened portions 11of the member 11 serving as the complementary parts of the knuckle andwhich fit into the respective recesses. Pintles 15 serve as the hingejoining members in usual manner. Rotation of said blades is limited inone direction to prevent them from rotating further than substantiallyperpendicular to the member 11. Such limit of rotation is effected bymeans of a flexible band or cord 16 permanently attached to member 11near its lower end and passing through holes 16 in the respectiveblades. Stops 17 and 17 are respectively provided on said cord on theopposite sides of the respective holes 16 so that blades 16 cannotseparate more than a predetermined distance apart at their free ends andlikewise cannot rotate beyond a position substantially perpendicular tothe member 11. Any other suitable control means v for said blades may beused. Opposite movement of said blades into a position substantiallyparallel with member 11, i. e. collapsed position, is not limited by thecord or band 16.

The device is used as follows The wearer passes his foot through theloop 12 and slides thelatter upwardly on his leg and inserts his footthrough loop 14, adjusting member 11 to lie along the front part of hisleg. Loops 12 and 14 firmly hold m said member 11 in place on said frontpart of the leg. One of said devices is mounted on each leg of theswimmer. In the water when the swimmers legs kick outwardly away fromthe body the blades 16 are automatically rotated into the aforementionedperpendicular position at which time they extend laterally from thewearers legs and serve as paddles to increase the pushing power of thefeet. When the swimmer retracts his legs, drawing them in towards hisbody, said paddles fold over into the aforementioned collapsed positionaffording little, if any, resistance to the leg movement of the swimmer.By virtue of the cupping of the blades, as aforementioned, better gripon the water is effected during the power stroke and less resistance onthe return stroke of the legs is obtained. The mounting of the devicesuch that member 11 lies along the front part of the leg and the bladesextend therefrom is of importance. By so mounting, sideward motion ofthe legs is in no way restricted.

It is obvious that my device may bemodified in many ways withoutdeparting from the spirit of my invention and I do not wish to belimited in any way to the details shown and described.

What I claim is 1. A swimming device comprising a supporting memberadapted to lie along the front part of a swimmers legs, means to retainsaid member in said position, blades pivotally mounted to saidsupporting member, the pivotal mounting of said blades comprising ahinge formed by rounding the rear edge of each blade and providing arecess in each of said rounded ends to form one part of a hinge knuckle,thickened portions on said supporting member adapt-ed respectively tofit into said recesses and to serve as the complementary members of theknuckles and a pintle to joint each of said knuckles, and means to limitrotation of said blades.

2. A swimming device comprising a supporting member adapted to lie alongthe front part of the swimmers legs, means to stain said member in saidposition, blades pivotally mounted on said supporting member, thepivotal mounting of said blades com prising a hinge formed by roundingthe rear edge of each blade and providing a recess in each of saidrounded ends to form one part of a hinge knuckle, thickened portions onsaid supporting member adapted respective ly to fit into saidrecessesand to serve as the complementary members of the knuckles and apintle to join each of said knuckles, and flexible means connected tosaid supporting member and said blades to limit the rotation of thelatter.

3. A swimming device comprising a supporting member adapted to lie alongthe front part of a swimmers leg, a loop at the upper end of said memberand a second loop at the lower end of said member for retaining saidmember in said position, blades pivotally mounted to said supportingmember and having cupped ends, the pivotal mounting of said bladescomprising a hinge formed by rounding the rear edge of each blade andproviding a recess in each of said rounded ends to form one part of ahinge knuckle,

thickened portions on said supporting mem- 4. A swimming devicecomprising a sup' porting member adapted to lie along the front part ofa swimmers leg, means for retaining said member in said position, bladespivotally mounted to said supporting member, the pivotal mounting ofsaid blades comprising a hinge formed by rounding the rear edge of eachblade and providing a recess in each of said rounded ends to form onepart-of a hinge knuckle, thickened portions on said supporting memberadapted respectively to fit into said recesses and to serve as thecomplementary members of the knuckles and. a pintle to join each of saidknuckles, and means to prevent the rotation of said blades beyond normalwith said member, said means comprising a flexible .member attached tosaid'supporting member and passing through each of said blades and stopson said flexible member on each side of said blades.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature.

ERNST VVINKLER.

